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So I am planning to use a solar power for my gaming computer that I am currently deciding about and I'm not that familiar with the whole process of running a solar panel. However I watched a guy on YouTube do this same thing just with about 100w, so I'm just planning to copy that. I will be needing to run A LOT of electronics and after calculating all the wattage I came up to needing about 1500w. So I am getting 6 250 Watt Monocrystalline Black Solar Panels from RENOGY, (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...02L3XUQ70M87BV) unless there is a better idea you may have. Anyway I will be needing a charge controller but the thing is that the optimum operating voltage is 30.1 for the solar panel. I don't know if i have to multiply that by 6 since I'm using 6 of those solar panels. And I can't seem to find a charge controller that can even handle 30v. Sorry, this is my first time even considering solar panels. It would just really cut down my electric bill if I decided to do this. Thanks in advance.
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The first step is determining your total daily use in kwh (kilowatt hours). Take the wattage of each item and multiply by the number of hours it will be on. If it was like 8 hours, and everything was running, that would be 12kwh, and you would need a significantly larger system to handle that usage. There are other questions that need to be answered, but that is #1. One thing you may want to keep in mind as you go is that it could turn out to be cheaper to use the power company's power. 1500W is a large load, if those things will frequently all be on continuously.
There are two kinds of charge controller - MPPT and PWM. For your required capacity, it will probably be an MPPT, which typically go up to 150V. Depending on the open circuit voltage, you can put 2 or 3 panels in series, and parallel strings for 3 or 2 strings, respectively. But that's a few steps beyond where you are at. -
You don't say where you are, but my guess is you need about 5000W of solar. If you are doing this to save money, you should have a grid tied system installed by a pro, not a DIY battery system.Solar Queen
altE StoreComment
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Amy gave you excellent advice. Where are you located geographically, and do you have the space to mount say 300 square feet of panels? Is there any shading of that area, and for what portion of the day? What compass direction could they face?
Tip - You may want to add your question to the "Solar Systems for Homeowners" forum, since typically this one is used for introductions only. Oh, and welcome to the site!Comment
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First off welcome to Solar Panel Talk
Next you should just forget about what you see cocerning any type of solar DIY project seen on YouTube. Most are just lying or not telling you the whole truth.
Next, the only way to reduce your electric bill with solar is to install a legal grid tie system.
Finally, unless you are paying the POCO > $1.0/kWh a solar/battery system will cost you more /kWh then just purchasing the power from the POCO. That can be reduced with a legal grid tie pv system.Comment
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Another dumb idea that will never see the light of day.MSEE, PEComment
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